1995 Pontiac Grand Am

WE HAVE HAD MINOR PROBLEMS WITH OUR SINCE WE BOUGHT IT IN OCT., 1998 THEN IN NOV., 1998 OUR DAUGHTER WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT. SHE WAS DRIVING DOWN A HILL, GOING THROUGH AN INTER-SECTION WHEN A YOUNG MAN RAN THE STOP SIGN TO HER LEFT THEN SHE WAS THROWN SIDEWAYS. THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE FRONT-END. AFTER GETTING THE CAR BACK MORE PROBLEMS WOULD START BUT DISAPPEAR. THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR NOT SHIFTING AND MAKING AN UNDISCRIBABLE NOISE. ATTEMPTED TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT WHILE WE WERE VISITING IN ANOTHER STATE BUT THEY WERE BUSY. THERE HAS BEEN OTHER TIMES WHEN I FELT A STRANGE VIBRATION UNDER MY FEET ON THE PASSENGER SIDE BUT IT WOULD DISAPPEAR. THEN ACT UP SEVERAL OTHER TIMES BUT ONCE AGAIN STOP. LAST WEEK, MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING WHEN SHE HEARD A LOUD POP, SHE STOPPED AND CHECKED TO SEE IF SHE HAD A FLAT TIRE, SHE COULDN'T TELL WHERE THE SOUND HAD COME FROM. EVERYTHING WAS FINE. SHE CONTINUED TO DRIVE A SHORT DISTANCE, A COUPLE OF BLOCKS, SHE BEGAN TO HEAR A NOISE THAT SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING WAS BEING DRAGGED. SHE PULLED INTO ANOTHER PARKING LOT, TURNED OFF THE CAR, GOT OUT AND CHECKED. NOTHING APPEARED WRONG. SHE PUT THE CAR INTO REVERSE , THE SAME NOISE THAT WAS UNDISCRIBABLE FROM THE EARLIER TIME BEGAN AGAIN, IT WOULD NOT CHANGE GEAR TYPE SOUND. SHE PULLED FORWARD, THE NOISE WOULD NOT STOP. SHE THEN COMPLETELY STOPPED AND TURNED OFF THE CAR AND CALLED US AT HOME. WHEN WE GOT THE CAR HOME, MY HUSBAND CHECKED ALL OF THE FLUIDS AND DETERMINED SOMETHING MUST BE WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION. THE NEXT DAY HE DROVE IT WITH ALL OF THE SAME PROBLEMS TO A NEARBY TRANSMISSION STATION BUT DUE TO OTHER REASONS DECIDED TO HAVE IT TOWED TO OUR DEALERSHIP. THEY TEST DROVE IT AND CALLED MY HUSBAND AT WORK. THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG AT FIRST. THEY SUGGESTED TEARING DOWN THE TRANSMISSION AFTER TALKING TO MY HUSBAND. I THEN RECEIVED A PHONE CALL STATING THE TWO MECHANICS HAD NEVER SEEN SO MUCH METAL SCHAVINGS IN A TRANSMISSION. I ASKED IF THE ACCIDENT HAD CAUSED THIS?

BRAKES FAILED WHEN CAR SAT ALL DAY OR OVERNIGHT AND I WOULD JUST START TO MOVE AT NO MORE THAN 10 MPH. THE FIRST THREE TIMES IT HAPPENED I COULD PUMP UP THE BRAKES UNTIL THEY WOULD BEGIN TO HOLD. THE LAST TIME THE BRAKES WOULD NOT PUMP UP, AND I HAD TO LET THE CAR ROLL SLOW ENOUGH TO BUMP INTO A CURB AND THROW IT INTO PARK. THE LAST TIME CAR WAS UNDRIVABLE. DEALERS SERVICE MANAGER CAME OUT AND ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE THE CAR AND BRAKES FAILED. AFTER HEARING THE "CLANGING' NOICE I HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT SINCE JANUARY, HE DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS THE ABS MALFUNCTION. THIS WAS CONFIRMED AT THE SERVICE CENTER AND THE ABS MOTOR PAK WAS REPLACED AT A COST TO OWNER OF $160. GM AND DEALER PICKED UP BALANCE OF REPAIR COSTS. DEALER CONFIRMED THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM IN JANUARY 1999 WAS THE ABS AND NOT MASTER CYLINDER--NEVER WAS THE MASTER CYLINDER. THE WARNING LIGHTS NEVER CAME ON AND THE SENSORS NEVER REVEALED THE PROBLEM ON THE DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. *AK

THE TIMING GEAR AND BELT/CHAIN COMPONENTS WERE REPLACED AT 36000 MILES DUE TO MISSING TEETH ON THE GEAR, WHICH WAS CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE BELT/CHAIN. NOW AT 103000 IT APPEARS WE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT WE WERE UNABLE TO CATCH THE PROBLEM IN TIME BEFORE COMPLETE FAILURE OCCURRED. ENGINE WON'T START DUE TO THE BROKEN/DEFECTIVE PARTS. *AK